Amazon scraps Fire Phone

Amazon has stopped selling its Fire smartphone just 15 months after the mobile handset was launched.

According to its website, both the 32GB and 64GB models are “currently unavailable”, and Amazon says it has no plans to restock the devices. It follows reports of lay-offs at the company, after the phone failed to resonate with consumers.

Launched in June 2014, the Fire Phone was Amazon’s first foray into the smartphone market. The main selling point was its “dynamic perspective” camera, which can track the user’s movements and give the impression of depth and 3D. It also includes a 24-hour customer service tool and an in-built encyclopaedia. But the rollout quickly faltered, as reviewers derided phone, and its days looked numbered when Amazon drastically cut the price of the phone just 3 months after launch.